Many motor vehicles have cargo beds. Pickup trucks are typical of such vehicles. A pickup truck has a tailgate which pivots between an open and a closed position. The tailgate serves as a door to the cargo bed. The purpose of the cargo bed is to facilitate the transportation of cargo. Therefore, a person often needs to stand within the cargo bed of the vehicle or upon a lowered tailgate in order to assist the loading, unloading and positioning of cargo.
Many vehicles are high enough off of the ground that a person cannot get into the cargo bed or onto the lowered liftgate without strenuous athletic movements. A makeshift step is often used to provide an intermediate landing for a person's feet before the person takes a second step into the vehicle. This procedure is fraught with problems. Often a step is not available. At other times a part of the intended cargo is used as a makeshift step. Such a makeshift step often has incorrect dimensions, is unstable or subjects cargo used as a step to damage.
Most pickup trucks are equipped with hitch receivers. They are either equipped with hitch receivers at the time of manufacture or a hitch receiver is added to the vehicle after manufacture. The purpose of the hitch receivers is to receive, retain and secure a trailer hitch to the vehicle. Typical hitch receivers are attached substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle. They have a rectangular opening for receiving a trailer hitch. They have a pair of aligned openings for receiving the locking members of a hitch lock.
What is needed is a telescoping vehicle step with the following features. It would fit within and slide within the hitch receiver of the vehicle. When not needed, it could be securely collapsed adjacent to the opening of the hitch receiver. When needed, it could be extended by pulling from the hitch receiver such that the step extends beyond the lowered tailgate of the vehicle. It would provide a step for a person to step upon and easily climb into the cargo bed or onto the lowered tailgate of the vehicle.